Plastic Products Research Articles

Microplastics: Features of appearance, identification methods (subject review)

Polymer packaging materials have become firmly embedded in our way of life. They are used in the manufacture of household items, as well as in the pharmaceutical, chemical, and automotive industries. Production and application of polymer packaging are expanding rapidly encompassing various spheres of the industry. According to Plastics Europe Market Research Group (PEMRG), global plastics production reached 348 million tons in 2017 and is likely to reach 33 billion tons by 2050. At the same time, about 26 million tons of plastic waste are generated annually on the territory of the European Union (EU), of which only 30% is collected for recycling. Despite this, in many countries of the world, including Russia, more than 50% of polymer materials are disposed of at landfills, where under the influence of external environmental factors (temperature, humidity), their destruction occurs with the formation of huge quantities of micro- and nanoplastics. Most people do not consider the environmental problems associated with microplastics to be serious. However, many studies aimed at in-depth study of this problem have proved that micro- and nanoplastics have significant negative effects on terrestrial and marine animals, as well as on human health, whether directly or indirectly. The identification of microplastics in various model environments and living systems is usually based on the use of infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectrophotometry. Each of the methods has its advantages and disadvantages, mainly related to sample preparation to improve the accuracy of identification. This review is devoted to the problem of formation and identification of microplastics in various natural objects.

A critical review to identify data gaps and improve risk assessment of bisphenol A alternatives for human health.

Bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical widely used in the production of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, has been associated with a variety of adverse effects in humans including metabolic, immunological, reproductive, and neurodevelopmental effects, raising concern about its health impact. In the EU, it has been classified as toxic to reproduction and as an endocrine disruptor and was thus included in the candidate list of substances of very high concern (SVHC). On this basis, its use has been banned or restricted in some products. As a consequence, industries turned to bisphenol alternatives, such as bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF), which are now found in various consumer products, as well as in human matrices at a global scale. However, due to their toxicity, these two bisphenols are in the process of being regulated. Other BPA alternatives, whose potential toxicity remains largely unknown due to a knowledge gap, have also started to be used in manufacturing processes. The gradual restriction of the use of BPA underscores the importance of understanding the potential risks associated with its alternatives to avoid regrettable substitutions. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge on the potential hazards related to BPA alternatives prioritized by European Regulatory Agencies based on their regulatory relevance and selected to be studied under the European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC): BPE, BPAP, BPP, BPZ, BPS-MAE, and TCBPA. The focus is on data related to toxicokinetic, endocrine disruption, immunotoxicity, developmental neurotoxicity, and genotoxicity/carcinogenicity, which were considered the most relevant endpoints to assess the hazard related to those substances. The goal here is to identify the data gaps in BPA alternatives toxicology and hence formulate the future directions that will be taken in the frame of the PARC project, which seeks also to enhance chemical risk assessment methodologies using new approach methodologies (NAMs).

Surface Morphology Analysis of Graphene Transfer on SiO2 with BPA Aptasensor Detection using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy

Bisphenol A or BPA is one of the highest produced chemicals in the world. The production of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resin are used to make variety of consumer goods and it is frequently employed BPA as a raw material. BPA is one of the endocrine disruptors which is related to a wide range of adverse health effects that can cause reproductive disorders and many kinds of cancers. In the work, the novelty of electrochemical sensor of BPA was constructed on a raphene modified electrode using graphene transfer method. In this work, High-power microscope and scanning electron microscopy were used to study the production and characterization of the graphene, with two significant mapping graphene at 20% and 80%. The existence of graphene on silicon oxide was analyzed using Raman Spectroscopy while the composition of the materials was analyze using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. In this analysis, both analysis data from Raman and FTIR clearly shown that 80% mapping graphene is the best option which resulting to the high surface coverage. The electrochemical performance of the mapping 80% graphene electrode was examined using Electrochemical Impedance Spectra. The increase in charge transfer resistance (Rct) both before and after the addition of BPA denotes the development of the charge at the electrode surface. The equivalent circuit shows the Rct of graphene increased from 0.4 k Ω to 1.2 k Ω and drastically increased to 300 kΩ when the device was introduced with BPA due to the existence of a negative charge carrier and the repelling contact.

Life Cycle Assessment of Banned Single-Use Plastic Products and Their Alternatives

Plastic and microplastic contamination continue to be growing problems across the globe for both ecosystems and human health. Canada has banned single-use plastic products such as bags, cutlery, and foodservice ware (containers) to address and mitigate plastics and microplastic contamination. This study evaluates the life cycle of banned plastic products and their alternatives to determine whether environmental impacts can be mitigated. The environmental impacts of bags (plastic, paper, cotton), cutlery (plastic, wooden, biodegradable), and containers (plastic, styrofoam, biodegradable) were determined considering both domestic and imported products. The bag study saw paper bags having the highest environmental impacts and cotton bags with the lowest due to their reusability. For the cutlery study, plastic cutlery was the most impactful across all categories except for eutrophication and ozone depletion, where biodegradable cutlery was the most impactful by 25% and 35%, respectively. In the case of foodservice ware (containers), styrofoam was found to be the least impactful. Similar to cutlery, the plastic containers had the greatest impact except where the biodegradable container contributed more to ozone depletion and eutrophication by 25% and 45%, respectively. Local production reduced impacts across all categories. Furthermore, on a local scale, biodegradable cutlery had a greater impact on the smog and respiratory effects categories than plastic by 10% and 30%, respectively. The results of this study indicate that future regulations should focus on promoting and educating consumers on the use of reusable products over single-use products, funding research to mitigate challenges associated with waste management, and consider an informed ban on all single-use products and not just those made of plastic material to mitigate environmental impacts.

Selection of refrigerant for use in chillers

BACKGROUND: Chillers (chillers) are essential components in various industrial processes. They are primarily used when direct cooling through direct heat exchange between the boiling coolant and the cooled medium is not feasible. This could be attributed to the cost of the refrigerant, especially when a large amount of expensive substances for long refrigerant lines is needed, or the risks associated with using toxic and flammable refrigerants, which could be hazardous in case of leaks. Chillers are typically classified into three types based on their temperature applications: high-temperature chillers for uses like plastic manufacturing and data centers, medium-temperature chillers for air conditioning systems, etc.) and low-temperature chillers for applications like ice fields and food storage. Given their widespread use and high production volume, designing efficient chillers is an important task. AIMS: Substantiating refrigerant use in terms of efficiency and service life of refrigeration equipment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Chillers are designed for various industrial applications, with specific inlet and outlet temperatures for the evaporator: +26°С / + 20°С (ВТ); +12°С / +7°С (ST); −10°С / −13°С (НТ)). These chillers operate using refrigerants R134a, R410A, R404A, and R1270, evaluated through an entropy-statistical method of thermodynamic analysis [1]. R1270 is highlighted as a promising refrigerant for monoblock chillers, since there are no filling restrictions for these chillers when installed in open space [2]. RESULTS: Among the refrigerant reviewed, R1270 demonstrates the highest thermodynamic efficiency in BT mode, outperforming R404A by 11.97%, R134a by 2.15%, and R410A by 5.48%. In CT mode, R1270 also leads,–with a 14.13% advantage over R404A, 3.04% over R134a, and 3.41% over R410A. Similarly, in HT mode, R1270 shows superior thermodynamic performance, being 21.95% more efficient than R404A, 29.73% more than R134a, and 11.44% more than R410A. The use of R410A and R134a in NT mode is limited owing to high discharge temperatures during compression, namely 116.94°C for R410A and 114.63°C for R134a, potentially reducing equipment lifespan. The lowest discharge temperature during actual compression, 84.63°C, is achieved using R404A coolant. However, despite its efficiency, this refrigerant results in a relatively high discharge temperature of 96.84°C. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis highlights specific applications for various refrigerants in chillers and underscores the potential of natural refrigerant R1270, which is produced in the Russian Federation.

Biodegradable Polymers: Environmental Sustainability, Challenges, and Considerations

The increasing global production of polymers and plastics has led to the development of a new environmentally friendly material that is degraded in the environment by enzymatic action and/or smaller units are created by the breakdown of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae. In the present review, the analysis of biodegradable polymers was presented on the global production of these polymers and industrial and environmental applications. In addition, the work focuses on sustainability in the environment, because the biodegradable polymers have become spread as sustainable alternative options to the non-biodegradable polymers. Additionally, the study provided an explanation of how to produce biodegradable polymers using agricultural waste, including tomato pomace and pineapple peel waste. Generally, the creation and application of biodegradable polymers need to take into account their environmental effect and performance along with aspects like cost, availability, recyclability, and printing methods.

Charting the Research Status for Bamboo Resources and Bamboo as a Sustainable Plastic Alternative: A Bibliometric Review

With the increasing pollution caused by plastic products, people’s awareness of environmental protection has gradually increased. Based on the advantages of China’s bamboo resources and bamboo industry, the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan launched the ‘Utilizing bamboo as a sustainable alternative to plastic’ initiative in November 2022 to accelerate the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This initiative provides a nature-based solution for global sustainable development, which will have a profound impact on promoting global green development, industrial science and technology, social services, cultural exchanges, and other fields. It has a huge market capacity and application potential. This study aims to understand the research status, hotspots, development trends, and prospects of this initiative. WoS and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched for the relevant literature on ‘utilizing bamboo as a sustainable alternative to plastic bamboo as plastic’ and ‘bamboo resources’ from the establishment of the database to 2024. Bibliometric methods and VOSviewer were used to analyze 1855 literatures with the above two keywords published in the Web of Science core set database from 2000 to 2024. A visual analysis was performed on the number of publications, national research institutions, researchers, number of citations, and research topics of the literature. For example, China, the United States, and India ranked in the top three in terms of the number of articles published, with 1103, 267, and 167, respectively. China had the highest number of citations, reaching 26,607. At the same time, the literature with ‘bamboo’ as the keyword in CNKI was analyzed to understand the species of bamboo currently studied. A literature investigation was carried out around the resource cultivation of the bamboo industry in our country, and it was found that the research on ‘use bamboo as plastic’ and ‘bamboo resources’ had been valued by scholars at home and abroad, and had formed a relatively stable research group. Using scientific and technological innovation to improve the product quality of ‘bamboo instead of plastic’, expanding its application scope and market demand, and realizeing the sustainable industry development of ‘bamboo instead of plastic’ is the current research hotspot and the future development direction.

Performance Characteristics of a Compression Ignition (CI) Engine Using an Environmentally Friendly Waste Plastic Fuel

Due to growing demands and depleting reserves of petroleum-based fuel, there is a necessity to find an alternative fuel for IC engines. Also, environmental concerns and globally faced problems like lots of garbage generated through plastics is a major issue in India. There is a significant disparity between plastic production and waste plastic generation. Therefore, the need for alternative fuels derived from municipal plastic waste has emerged to enhance the performance of IC engines, decrease emissions, and address other environmental concerns in line with the “Swachh Bharat Mission of India”. In this study, the alternative fuel was produced from a municipal mix of plastic waste by pyrolysis process. The experiments were carried out with a constant speed of 1500 rpm at different load conditions and fueled with standard diesel, waste plastic fuel and other blends to investigate IC engine performance and combustion and emissions in terms of brake thermal efficiency, brake power, brake specific fuel consumption, cylinder pressure, net heat release, mean gas temperature, rate of pressure rise, andbrake specific CO2, NOx, CO and HC emissions parameters were investigated and it is compared with standard diesel. The overall result shows that WPO20D80 and WPO30D70 exhibit the peak performance (torque, BP, BTE and BSFC) and lowest emissions (HC, CO, NOx) at all load conditions. Moreover, according to all the performance results, the lowest BSFC with maximum brake thermal efficiency and variations was 24.01% and 0.346 Kg/kWh for the WPO30D70 blend at part load condition. The minimum brake-specific NOx produced by the diesel blend at peak load conditions (WPO20D80) is 138.66 ppm, which is higher than other blends. This phenomenon may be attributed to an elevated proportion of pre-combustion and an extended ignition duration, resulting in a high cylinder temperature and an enhanced rate of heat release. This analysis contributes to a deeper understanding of the environmental implications associated with different fuel blends and load conditions. Notably, the blends ranging from 10% to 50% showed good tendencies to be utilized with diesel engines and consistently exhibit favourable brakespecific emission profiles, suggesting its potential as an environmentally friendly alternative fuel.

Riverine macroplastic survey along the segments of Tullahan River in Metro Manila, Philippines

The Philippines is one of the world’s main contributors to global marine plastic pollution. However, field data remains scarce, so model estimates of riverine plastic pollution may be inaccurate. This paper aims to characterize the macrolitter observed along the Tullahan River, with focus on plastics, passing through the barangays of Quezon City and Valenzuela City in Metro Manila. The impact of solid waste management and land use activities on plastic flux were also investigated. For the floating litter, visual counting and float method were used to determine the plastic flux and river velocity, respectively. Riverbank litter was collected manually to characterize it based on plastic product and polymer type. Results show that the macroplastic flux was lowest on the site where residential houses are farthest from the stream. Waste characterization revealed that riverbank litter was primarily plastic – 30%–41% were residuals, and 5%–21% were recyclables. Both methods revealed that wrappers and thin PE plastics are the top contributors to riverine macroplastic pollution. Therefore, the entry of macroplastics into the river may be due to land use activities and weak enforcement of existing solid waste management (SWM) policies. The points discussed in the study can help in improving SWM and land use planning. The results can also increase the accuracy of model estimates.

Compositional Analysis and Mechanical Recycling of Polymer Fractions Recovered via the Industrial Sorting of Post-Consumer Plastic Waste: A Case Study toward the Implementation of Artificial Intelligence Databases.

Nowadays, society is oriented toward reducing the production of plastics, which have a significant impact on the environment. In this context, the recycling of existing plastic objects is currently a fundamental step in the mitigation of pollution. Very recently, the outstanding development of artificial intelligence (AI) has concerned and continues to involve a large part of the industrial and informatics sectors. The opportunity to implement big data in the frame of recycling processes is oriented toward the improvement and the optimization of the reproduction of plastic objects, possibly with enhanced properties and durability. Here, a deep cataloguing, characterization and recycling of plastic wastes provided by an industrial sorting plant was performed. The potential improvement of the mechanical properties of the recycled polymers was assessed by the addition of coupling agents. On these bases, a classification system based on the collected results of the recycled materials' properties was developed, with the aim of laying the groundwork for the improvement of AI databases and helpfully supporting industrial recycling processes.

Investigating the Influence of Microplastics on Marine Biodiversity and Human Health

The main environmental and public health concerns have been the plastic particles that are smaller than 5 millimeters in size. This study paper will therefore investigate how microplastics originate, their prevalence, and the impacts on marine biodiversity and human health. It categorizes microplastics as either primary or secondary in nature, thus explaining their origin from intentional consumer product usage and from the degradation of larger plastic debris. It is estimated that 51 trillion microplastic particles mar the marine ecosystems and endanger organisms as small as plankton and as large as mammals. This ingestion of microplastics can lead to blockages, deficiencies in nutrients, and toxicological effects in the marine species that the impacts of their bioaccumulation and biomagnifications would increase in the food chain for human health. Evidence says microplastics have been present in seafood and drinking water, and even in human tissues, and the potential for such health problems of inflammation, oxidative stress, or chronic problems long term. This paper underlines the critical level of scientific research to full understanding of the impacts that microplastics will have on the environment and health. It also underlines strong policy interventions focusing on reducing plastic production and consumption, improving waste management, and enhancing public awareness. Through such synthesis and combined efforts across sectors, we could ease this overall threat through microplastic pollution together to protect marine ecosystems as well as public health for generations to come.

Impact of the Formality Level on the Strategic Planning Process of SMEs

The article identifies the barriers that hinder the implementation of strategic planning and the relationship with the level of formality in the preparation of strategic plans of SMEs in Quito. It focuses on the manufacturing sector and its different sub-sectors, including the manufacture of food products, textiles, clothing, as well as chemical, pharmaceutical, medicinal, and botanical substances for pharmaceutical use, in addition to rubber and plastic products. The existing literature reviewed on strategic planning and tools to address the process characterizes the small and medium-sized manufacturing sector as the object of research. The subsequent field study shows the results achieved by the companies with planning and the existence or not of barriers to strategic implementation. The most common barriers have been identified in relation to factors such as resources, culture, lack of technological support, among others. Once the barriers have been identified, they are linked to the use of planning tools to determine the type of existing relationship. There is a moderate correlation between the level of complexity and the level of execution of the strategic plan. The research results will enable further research on the importance of the use of management tools in SMEs.

Sustainability synergies and trade-offs considering circularity and land availability for bioplastics production in Brazil

Alongside the concerns of waste management, plastic production represents a future problem for managing greenhouse gas emissions. Advanced recycling and bio-based production are paramount to face this challenge. The sustainability of bio-based polyethylene (bioPE) depends on the feedstock, avoiding stress on natural resources. This work discusses Brazil’s potential to meet future global bioPE demand by 2050, using sugarcane as feedstock and considering environmental sustainability for production expansion. From the assessed 35.6 Mha, 3.55 Mha would be exempt from trade-offs related to land use change (dLUC), biodiversity, and water availability. The scenario with the highest circularity efficiency would require 22.2 Mha to meet the global demand, which can be accommodated in areas with positive impacts in carbon stocks, neutral impacts in water availability, and medium impacts on biodiversity. Here, we show that dropping demand is essential to avoid trade-offs and help consolidate bioPE as a sustainable alternative for future net-zero strategies.

Multiple objectives optimization of injection-moulding process for dashboard using soft computing and particle swarm optimization

This research focuses on utilizing injection moulding to assess defects in plastic products, including sink marks, shrinkage, and warpages. Process parameters, such as pure cooling time, mould temperature, melt temperature, and pressure holding time, are carefully selected for investigation. A full factorial design of experiments is employed to identify optimal settings. These parameters significantly affect the physical and mechanical properties of the final product. Soft computing methods, such as finite element (FE), help mitigate behaviour by considering different input parameters. A CAD model of a dashboard component integrates into an FE simulation to quantify shrinkage, warpage, and sink marks. Four chosen parameters of the injection moulding machine undergo comprehensive experimental design. Decision tree, multilayer perceptron, long short-term memory, and gated recurrent units models are explored for injection moulding process modelling. The best model estimates defects. Multiple objectives particle swarm optimisation extracts optimal process parameters. The proposed method is implemented in MATLAB, providing 18 optimal solutions based on the extracted Pareto-Front.

Tandem microplastic degradation and hydrogen production by hierarchical carbon nitride-supported single-atom iron catalysts

Microplastic pollution, an emerging environmental issue, poses significant threats to aquatic ecosystems and human health. In tackling microplastic pollution and advancing green hydrogen production, this study reveals a tandem catalytic microplastic degradation-hydrogen evolution reaction (MPD-HER) process using hierarchical porous carbon nitride-supported single-atom iron catalysts (FeSA-hCN). Through hydrothermal-assisted Fenton-like reactions, we accomplish near-total ultrahigh-molecular-weight-polyethylene degradation into C3-C20 organics with 64% selectivity of carboxylic acid under neutral pH, a leap beyond current capabilities in efficiency, selectivity, eco-friendliness, and stability over six cycles. The system demonstrates versatility by degrading various daily-use plastics across different aquatic settings. The mixture of FeSA-hCN and plastic degradation products further achieves a hydrogen evolution of 42 μmol h‒1 under illumination, outperforming most existing plastic photoreforming methods. This tandem MPD-HER process not only provides a scalable and economically feasible strategy to combat plastic pollution but also contributes to the hydrogen economy, with far-reaching implications for global sustainability initiatives.

Global projections of plastic use, end-of-life fate and potential changes in consumption, reduction, recycling and replacement with bioplastics to 2050

Excessive production, indiscriminate consumption, and improper disposal of plastics have led to plastic pollution and its hazardous environmental effects. Various approaches to tackle the challenges of reducing the plastic footprint have been developed and applied, such as the production of alternative materials (design for recycling), the production and use of biodegradable plastic and plastics from power-to-X, and the development of recycling approaches. This study proposes an optimisation strategy based on regression to evaluate and predict plastic use and end-of-life fate in the future based on historical trends. The mathematical model is formulated and correlations based on functions of time are developed and optimised by minimising the sum of squared residuals. The plastic quantities up to the year 2050 are projected based on historical trends analysis, and for improved sustainability, projections are additionally based on intervention analyses. The results show that the global use of plastics is expected to increase from 464 Mt in 2020 up to 884 Mt in 2050, with up to 4725 Mt of plastics accumulated in stock in 2050 (from the year 2000). Compared to other available forecasts, a slightly lower level of plastic use and stock are obtained. The intervention analysis estimates a range of global plastics' consumption between 594 Mt and 1018 Mt in 2050 by taking into account its different increment rates (between −1 % and 2.65 %). In the packaging sector, the implementation of reduction targets (15 % reduction in 2040 compared to 2018) could lead to a 27.3 % decrease in plastic use in 2050 as compared to 2018, while achieving recycling targets (55 % in 2030) would recycle >75 % of plastic packaging in 2050. The partial substitution of fossil-based plastics with bioplastics (polyethylene) will require significant land area, between 0.2 × 106 km2 for obtaining switchgrass and up to around 1.0 × 106 km2 for obtaining forest residue (annual yields of 58.15 t/ha and 3.5 t/ha) in 2050. The intervention analysis shows that proactive policies can mitigate sustainability challenges, however achieving broader sustainability goals also requires reduction of footprints related to energy production and virgin plastic production, the production of bio-based plastics, and the full implementation of recycling initiatives.

Deep eutectic solvent (DES) pretreatment and lignin regeneration for the development of a bamboo leaf-based bioplastic.

The excessive utilization of petroleum-based plastic products has led to a pervasive environmental and human health threat. In response, the adoption of bioplastics derived from biomass has emerged as the foremost alternative to conventional plastics, owing to their inherent biodegradability and sustainability. The present study demonstrates the preparation of a biodegradable and cost-effective lignocellulosic bioplastic by utilizing dissolving bamboo leaf powder with deep eutectic solvents (DES) and regenerating lignin in situ. The DES was synthesized through a one-step heating and stirring method using choline chloride (ChCl) and anhydrous oxalic acid. The crystallinity of the bioplastics is enhanced by DES pretreatment, thereby improving the internal structural order of the material. Moreover, lignin regeneration reduces the pore size within the bioplastics and contributes to a more compact internal structure. The prepared lignocellulosic bioplastics exhibit remarkable mechanical strength, with a tensile strength of 113MPa. Additionally, they demonstrate good water stability, as evidenced by a contact angle of 55.52°. Moreover, these bioplastics possess an exceptional biodegradability with a degradation rate exceeding 98% after 60days. This study presents an innovative approach for the high-value utilization of bamboo leaf resources.

Polysaccharide-Based Bioplastics: Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Solutions for Packaging

Over the past few decades, synthetic petroleum-based packaging materials have increased, and the production of plastics has surpassed all other man-made materials due to their versatility. However, the excessive usage of synthetic packaging materials has led to severe environmental and health-related issues due to their nonbiodegradability and their accumulation in the environment. Therefore, bio-based packages are considered alternatives to substitute synthetic petroleum-based packaging material. Furthermore, the choice of packing material in the food industry is a perplexing process as it depends on various factors, such as the type of food product, its sustainability, and environmental conditions. Interestingly, due to proven mechanical, gas, and water vapor barrier properties and biological activity, polysaccharide-based bioplastics show the potential to expand the trends in food packaging, including edible films or coatings and intelligent and active food packaging. Various chemical modifications, network designs, and processing techniques have transformed polysaccharide materials into valuable final products, particularly for large-scale or high-value applications. Transitioning from petroleum-based resources to abundant bio-based polysaccharides presents an opportunity to create a sustainable circular economy. The economic viability of polysaccharide-based bioplastics is determined by several factors, including raw material costs, production technologies, market demand, and scalability. Despite their potential advantages over traditional plastics, their economic feasibility is affected by continuous technological advancements and evolving market dynamics and regulations. This review discusses the structure, properties, and recent developments in polysaccharide-based bioplastics as green and sustainable food packaging materials.

Exploring alternatives for detecting microplastics in the human body: questionnaire survey

Microplastics (MPs) can enter the body via plastic products. Given modern plastic exposure, we seek to assess MP exposure in large populations through epidemiological tools. In this quasi-experimental study, every participant filled out a questionnaire, and those who satisfied any of the following requirements were not allowed to continue in the study: Diabetes, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, infectious diseases. Participants in the exposure and control groups were provided three hot meals in disposable plastic tableware (DPT) (n = 30) or non-DPT (n = 30), respectively. After a month of observation, individuals in the exposure group discontinued the three meals provided in DPT (n = 27) for 1 month as the post-exposure group. Each Participant in the three groups received a questionnaire survey and fecal sample collection. We compared the differences in MP levels between different groups and used the Bland–Altman analysis method to evaluate the consistency of the results obtained by different measurement methods. Statistically significant differences in the total quantity (P (0.80 matching degree) = 0.020; P (0.65 matching degree) < 0.001) and types (Polyethylene Terephthalate (EVA) (P = 0.039), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) (P = 0.022), Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) (P = 0.013), Chlorinated Polyethylene (CPE) (P = 0.039), phenolic epoxy resin (P = 0.012)) of MPs were observed between the exposure and post-exposure groups. The Bland–Altman analysis results indicate that the two methods exhibit good consistency in the three groups (control group: mean difference = 0.54, agreement limits (95% CI) = − 0.44 ~ 1.54; exposure group: mean difference = 0.41, agreement limits (95% CI) = − 0.19 ~ 1.01; post-exposure group: mean difference = 0.19, agreement limits (95% CI) = − 0.63 ~ 1.02). The method based on questionnaire surveys can substitute the method of fecal sample detection to evaluate the exposure of MP particles.

Aging affects the mechanical interaction between microplastics and lipid bilayers.

Plastic pellets, the pre-production form of many plastic products, undergo oxidation and photodegradation upon exposure to oxygen and sunlight, resulting in visible color changes. This study examines the impact of environmental aging on the mechanical interactions between pellet-derived microplastics and lipid bilayers, a critical component of biological membranes. Polyethylene pellets were collected from La Pineda beach near Tarragona, Spain, and categorized by chemical composition and yellowing index, an indicator of aging. The hydrophilicity of these pellets was assessed using contact angle measurements. Microplastics were produced by grinding and filtering these pellets and subsequently dispersed around a free-standing lipid bilayer within a 3D microfluidic chip to investigate their interactions. Our results reveal that aged microplastics exhibit a significantly increased adhesive interaction with lipid bilayers, leading to greater bilayer stretching. Theoretical modeling indicates a linear relationship between the adhesive interaction and the contact angle of the pellets, reflecting their hydrophilicity. These findings emphasize the increased mechanical impact of aged microplastics on biological membranes, which raises concerns about their potential toxicological effects on living organisms. This study highlights the importance of understanding the interactions between environmentally aged microplastics and biological systems to assess their risks, as these may differ significantly from pristine microplastics often studied under laboratory conditions.